Sunday, September 6th, 2015

Sunday, September 6^th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

In Our Hand

Another beautiful day marks our calendar. It is called Vyasa-Puja, the day for remembering our guru, Srila Prabhupada, on his birthday. I will present to you now my poem which I offered to him.

In Our Hand

I keep in my kurta pocket

A worry that you’ll be forgotten

That results of hard work done

Will be tossed like air on soft cotton

 

I have a thought that

The cutting edge you brought

Will be twisted

In all that you’ve taught

 

I have a concern that

As the clock keeps ticking

And time passes quickly

Kali increases his devious tricking

 

I have a humble opinion

That danger lurks ahead

Unless we stick to our guns,

Anchor sadhana and kirtan be spread

 

In my other pocket a feeling

That your mercy will linger

Success will be proceeding

Where ‘ere you point the finger

 

I can say for certain

That fifty years have passed

Recognition will come

Your legacy bound to last

 

I have these mixed feelings

Regarding failure or success

Only time will tell –

Make, break, or be a mess

 

Yours was the first step

Ours is the second

The third, and fourth –

The deck is in our hand

 

May the Source be with you!

7 km

 

Saturday, September 5th, 2015

Saturday, September 5^th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Waking and Walking

Waking for the early arati on Krishna’s birthday was a challenge physically because our rehearsal had finished at 1:15 AM. However, the spirit was high and knowing the attendance would also be high made the chore of rising easier.

Right after the glorious chant at 4:30 AM lead by my doctor, Dr. Pundit (AKA Jagannatha Mishra), a large group sat down to hear my reading from the Gita, chapter 4. But, before I read, I opened with a comment.

“It is said that Krishna was born on this day but actually He was not. In fact, He was not born.”

Explanations on this apparent contradiction have been explained by our guru, Srila Prabhupada, along the lines that Krishna is known as aja, not born under normal circumstances. You might say it was an immaculate conception. He came to this world not under the force of karma but simply by His wish to do so, on the strength of His own desire.

A good number of people in the group had also become aware of the statement made by US congress woman, Tulsi Gabbard. Her message of good will from her constituency in Hawaii credits Srila Prabhupada for bringing awareness of Krishna to the west. She quoted the Gita on two occasions in her speech, 8.66 and 4.35, regarding surrender to the Supreme and also the importance of feeling that we are all part of Krishna who is our true friend.

Our building, the temple and ashram, became a squeezed-in situation. Pilgrims from all 'round came to witness the beauty of Krishna’s deity. Our drama, “Krishna Is”, was a big hit. When the clock struck 12 at midnight, the doors to the shrine opened for a viewing of a regally decorated set of murtis (deities) while exuberant chanting went on. Everyone then broke their fast of full abstinence from food for the day.

As usual on Janmastami, Krishna’s apparent birth, I took my trek down the ravine to do my chanting on beads. The South African couple joined me. I reassured them there’s no crocodiles in the swamp where we’d be walking and no lions by the grassy meadows. We all survived on this walk of tamed urban Canadian wilderness. It is Krishna’s mercy.

 

May the Source be with you!

12 km

Friday, September 4th, 2015

Friday, September 4^th, 2015

Toronto, Ontario

The Day Before

On this fine morning when pink and blue blends occupy the sky, we took the boardwalk at the Beaches. The awesome element about any beach is that there is no encumbrance to thought, contemplation, or any form of dreaminess. The open air and boundless sky seem to generate the spirit of optimism and hope.

Praveen was kind to drive us to this busy, athletic-prone place. So many people take advantage of the good breezes that glide over the surface of the lake and make a pleasant greeting to the face. Runners, yogis, cyclists, kayakers, and walkers do the right thing, looking after themselves, in order to perhaps have better performance throughout the day.

Of course, it is only proper to look after the machinery given to us and I would say of myself, I don’t fancy sitting in the corner of the ashram where things tend to be so enclosed. Of course, I’ll say that now because it’s early September. For me, the sky is Krishna, or vice versa. At least we can say that the creation has a connection to the Creator. There is the sun and the sunshine that can be taken as an analogy. There is practically no difference between the two elements.

The sun did come up slowly then, by the way, over Lake Ontario as we walked to see his glowing pride. He was a red hot power ball. Our two South African guests were enthused to see such intensity of colour

All the calmness we placed ourselves in was really a preparation period for tomorrow’s birthday honouring Krishna. And, in an effort to please Him for tomorrow, a group of volunteers worked very hard with me on forming the drama ‘Krishna Is’ hours later, at a time when similar sky colours please the eyes . Our former temple president, Visvakarma, popped in for a surprise visit. Our cast was happy to meet him. We gave him an applause for being one of the main people responsible for securing the building in which we can perform and serve Krishna. I think it excited him to see all the decorations and activities going on in preparation for what to us is like Christmas. Thank you Krishna, for coming here to Earth.

 

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Thursday, September 3rd, 2015

Thursday, September 3^rd, 2015

Toronto, Ontario

For Granted

The couple from South Africa were quite amazed by the no boundaries neighbourhood yards. There are little or no fences, walls, or gates to demark one’s territory or there’s no barbed wire or the likes or foreboding broken glass to keep intruders out. This enthrals them. We take this very much for granted in our free world here in most of North America.

Now don’t get me wrong. South Africa’s a great country. I go there every year, yet segregation of sorts persists there.

Another thing that has excited Tamohara and Merumala, the couple, is the fact that the guru of our world community, Iskcon, had not only visited the very building that they are staying in but he, Srila Prabhupada, was also the negotiator involved in the purchase of this building. He also spent some time in our temple and ashram for a three to four day stay back in ’76. In fact, he slept in the room where I now sleep. I take it so much for granted. He planted his, as we say, lotus feet on the floor of the quarters where I reside and rested his body and conducted conversations in the very space that I pace, sit in and lie in. Oh, wretched me, how is it that I cannot appreciate this enough?

After our walk, with the keen observances made by Tamohara and Merumala about home and properties and the way we live here in North America, we had a sit down in our guru’s quarters. They were clicking away with their camera at all they considered novel. For instance, the table off of which he ate and the bed that he slept on are both still here and are intact.

Finally, one thing that really struck the two happened at the tail end of our walk when we came to a street light, which over there in South Africa is called a ‘robot’ (pronounced with a strong rolling ‘R’). A bus driver stopped at that juncture, he opened the door of the bus and wished us a ‘good one’. He then took the intercom phone in his vehicle and sang a bhajan. The couple was astounded, “Is everybody in Canada this friendly?” Anyways, did the bus driver impress us? Yes, he did. Was he feeling good? Yes, he was. I wish I had his enthusiasm.

 

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015

Wednesday, September 2^nd, 2015

Toronto, Ontario

Humid

Dense moisture hung in the air. It decided to spill heavily in the form of rain and just when one of our visiting monks was departing. Navayogendra Swami hails from Northern India and makes his pilgrimage here, jet-setting (no criticism implied here). Yes, he had put Toronto on his itinerary before leaving for Vancouver.

The downpour came, but for five minutes or less, and as the swami was leaving a young couple from South Africa arrived – Tamohara and fiancé, Merumala. They are trying out ashram living for a week in a place new to them – Canada. They’ve also come to see me and this is one of the reasons for grounding myself for the week.

Welcome to Canada!

Humidity persisted, even into the night, and there was no way I was going to sleep easy. It meant a trek down any old wayward street. I decided on the ancient trail, Davenport. Here, indigenous folks did tread but it hardly looks like the days of yore. It is now a so-called ‘developed’ area. From there I moved onto Yonge Street which is also very built up.

I was my usual self, calm, robed, and with japa meditation beads in hand (the right one) going southbound. Groups of people passed by me, mostly youthful ones. One group of lads ‘from the burbs’ I thought, walked by me but one with a baseball cap stopped in front reminding me of Krishna merely by his stance. No, he did not take the iconic three-fold bending form that Krishna is known for, rather, he stood before me in pranam format, that is, hands folded together. It was Shrey, the son of my secretary, a pious young teenager, who like many of his friends with a Krishna background, gives me a reminder of the Supreme.

Thanks for that, Shrey.

Immediately I thought, "Do you know where your children are?" thinking about the parents. But Shrey is quite old enough. He mentioned he just came from the game. The city’s baseball team, the Blue Jays, are having a great season so there’s a bit of a hype in the air. Anyways, it was a pleasant surprise and that little incident was worth the experience on this humid night.

 

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Tuesday, September 1st, 2015

Tuesday, September 1st, 2015

Toronto, Ontario

The Learning Theme of the Day
 
We had looked at 'The Gita' this morning from the perspective of seeing the nature of nature. In Chapter Two we were reminded of the ups and downs of life. You learn tolerance from it.

At noon I heard a bit of shouting coming from the temple's foyer. It was two women in a disagreement. "By golly," I thought, "this shouldn't happen in a temple." Yet it does from time to time. A little lack of tolerance perhaps. If I allow for a cool-down period and if I'm given the strength and courage, I dare shoot for making peace between the two as early as tomorrow.

In the evening Nick and I hit a trail with lots of ups and downs. I took the lead as we moved through the ways of the ravine. The intention was to bear the slight inconvenience of the upward and downward mobility. Tolerance, we were imposing it on ourselves.

Both Nick and I had learned of three excellent plum trees. They are rather tucked away from the view of most hikers. The trees had their branches drooping with fruit. Two in particular yielded so many of those juicy and fleshy balls that due to their maturity most of the harvest had fallen to the ground. It was a minor discouraging factor but one nonetheless. Most fruit pickers prefer to pluck whatever is there on the tree as opposed to gathering them from the ground. Ants tend to devour the grounded ones.

Anyways, it's a small lesson in tolerance. It's required to grab them in time. Timing is precise. Three days before they were perfect for the picking.

Our guru used to say, "Strike while the iron is hot!"

 

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Monday, August 31st, 2015

Monday, August 31st, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Come To Terms

I had come to terms with one thing about our little chanting party that makes its merry way regularly through streets of pedestrians. The group, like today, consisting of three monks, one nun, and a layman by the name of Patrick, are not a particularly "loud-sounding" group of singers. I suppose I can belch it out to the accompaniment of a resounding mrdanga sound but everyone else....?

This is not to blow my own horn but the others are by nature more soft-toned as well as more soft-spoken. So, the resolve in my mind is that we agree to not be a boisterous group but to be what we are - a bunch of mellow fellows.

Since I'll be leaving soon for a historic walk I thought, "Let's see what it looks like when I'm not there. Can we assemble a meaningful procession to go up Bloor Street? No! Then let's settle for a milder approach, sit on the grass and let our song run like smooth molasses."

So, to Christie Pitts Park we went this evening and delivered, or rather, tested the waters. We plopped ourselves onto the grass next to a small oak and sang. Two drums played with light thumps and one kartal (hand cymbal). During this time, the whole hour, what appeared to be a lost, homeless character had been in a daze while seated on a park bench. He kept looking our way. From the ample distance away, approval or rejection from him was not easy to discern.

Our group did what our alotted time could and as we were about to leave the fellow came over, again a bit dazed and perhaps traumatized by a ruthless world, and handed me a roll of quarters. It was done so nonchalantly. He turned and went off. I asked one of the boys to run after him and hand him one of our books for his edification but, "no, not interested". The mantras we sing were enough for him to appreciate, I imagine.

Perhaps a point was proven. A small group can choose a spot to sit down, chant with all their heart, in mild format, and people will love it.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

 

Sunday, August 30th, 2015

Sunday, August 30^th, 2015
Plainfield, New Jersey

Rushed

I was rushed to the temple prior to the crack of dawn for the mangal arati, the first chanting session of the day. I was given the invite to lead the chant on this very first arati since the new Krishna deity was installed. It was an honour. Before arriving, I figured that it might be a meagre attendance, being that it was 4:30 AM and everyone was tired from the festivities of the day and night before.

Much to my surprise, we had a full capacity attendance. This goes to show the serious nature to which the community takes to soul activity. It’s a solid investment into life’s journey.

It was three hours later that my dear godbrother, Jayadwaita Swami, shared a message on the significance of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, and his coming 50 years ago to western soil to bring a new way of looking at the world, through a spiritual lens of course, for people’s consideration. It was not that the western populace was spiritually bankrupt but maybe it was time to look at a different angle of spirituality.

There are different approaches, correct?

To my chagrin I once more found no time to go on a promenade of sorts. We have all been on a marathon. So instead of walking I found at one point it was necessary for me to catch up on a much missed rest by a quiet corner of one of the festival tents. I assembled a makeshift bed with 7 chairs. It worked wonders.

Finally it was time to fly back to Canada.

The passenger sitting next to me was a 30 year old Russell, a typical Canadian who’s into sports, has the occasional beer, and experiences his own form of adventure. Recently he and buddies rafted some of the wildest white waters the country offers near James Bay. He also told me he was thrilled about a book he read, “Dharma Bums”, and so we connected on various levels.

“Come by to our Govinda’s, it’s a great eating place.” I personally think he’ll take up the offer when we can share with each other more about travel dynamics in the wild.

May the Source be with you!

0 km

 

Saturday, August 29th, 2015

Saturday, August 29^th, 2015

Plainfield, New Jersey

Showers on the Day

Danudhar Swami and I haven’t met in years but he heard about my anticipated walk retracing the steps of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, 50 years ago. He wished me well. He asked me what shoes I preferred to wear on my pilgrimages. I told him I like to wear air, meaning that I use footwear that allows you to breathe. In the midst of the crowd that came for the celebrations of the Krishna deity installation, I also met an elderly female devotee who walks with a cane. She does so very meticulously and slowly. She deliberately takes those regular strolls being inspired by the walking I’ve done. “I read about you doing those long walks and it always encourages me.”

Now that was great to hear.

It was early while I was bound for the temple complex where much chanting went on and multiple rituals were in progress, executed both by old friends and members of our second generation Hare Krishna community. I had trekked along North Randolphville to Williams Street, then New Market Road, and finally Vail Street which becomes West 7^th Street.

And then back.

After a full day of spiritual output, I traced back the steps from the early morning. It was only on my return trip that I spotted the toy train shop which looks like many of the other buildings but is obscured from the night darkness.

I also have to say something about the performance of our drama, Blue Mystic. Our actors pulled off a good show. Co-operative activity makes all things happen. It was hard labour piecing it together, therefore, it was a good reason for the wind down walk in the night time.

Blessings were showered on the day by the mercy of guru.

 

May the Source be with you!

12 km

 

Friday, August 28th, 2015

Friday, August 28^th, 2015
Plainfield, New Jersey

In Plainfield

It just so happened that not an inch did I walk but flying took place. That doesn’t count, however, even though miles were put in going from Toronto to Newark.

Viratrupa was there at Newark Airport to greet Balaram and myself. Our purpose in coming here was to attend the installation of the deities of Radha and Krishna in what I was told was a former Baptist church, now converted into a Krishna temple. To please the crowds, (devotees have come from all around) I was asked to present a drama of the organizer’s choice, Blue Mystic.

I was happy to see the actors I selected turn up. There were two from Montreal, one from Michigan, one from North Carolina, two from Toronto, and some local extras, all volunteers. So as far as travel is concerned, the practice we put in allowed for a beautiful fatigue to compensate for the lack of trekking.

“Blue Mystic” takes one to ancient times and to Northern India where Krishna’s life is described up to the point of conquering evil in the form of Emperor Kamsa. For many of the onlookers who came upon our rehearsal, it became a transporting of place and time.

By 9 PM our practice concluded with three yummy meals wedged in through the day (we are spoiled). Viratrupa drove me to his lovely home and showed me directions how I could walk the return journey on foot the next morning. We passed by Walgreen’s and then turned a corner by the old model train shop. That pokes at something nostalgic. Where do you find such a shop where they sell electric trains? Just like where do you find an old drive-in movie anymore? Or where do you find an old sundae shop with swivelling chairs and old time ice cream? They are few and far between but they do exist.

More relevant is where do you find bhakti, devotion? Answer, somewhere within the inner recesses of the heart.

 

May the Source be with you!

0 km

 

Thursday, August 27th, 2015

Thursday, August 27^th, 2015

Owen Sound, Ontario

 

Outing at Owen

 

Two families and I made the two hour trip to Owen Sound for yet another outing. There we met the three generational Hanna clan and two generational Kaliyavadiya clan. Just outside Owen Sound is a small hamlet called Springmount. On the way you pass by one of the last of Canada’s drive-in movies which were popular in the fifties and sixties and then arrive at a park at Jones Falls, one of numerous waterfalls found on the Niagara escarpment. The temperature just wasn’t strong enough to justify a swim today. We settled for a walk on the Bruce Trail which has offshoot trails indicated by the paint strip found on the bark of trees. One colour was red, the other was white. We were captivated by some twisty and windy cedar trees as well as some ancient maple growth.

 

I failed to mention our Nepalese companion, Suman, who heard that mushrooms were in abundance. He came prepared with his sizeable canvass bag meant for foraging for four different kinds of mushrooms.

 

“What are you going to do with this?” I asked as he made good with the harvest.

 

Cook it and eat it,” he said plainly. The man was in ecstasy and upon discovering a mushroom would make this unique form of a howl, something that kind of comes along with the territory when you’re trekking through the woods. Alex also had a knack for howling, which was okay because he was taking the lead and he would help us stay on track.

 

We capped off our day, much after the walk was finished, with a chant converging in one home. We handed our honourary flower garland to Samantha, a local yoga teacher from the area. She’s in love with kirtan and plays a role in networking with others in kirtan admitting that it is the ultimate yoga practice.

 

The meal that followed was prepared by Alka and it was to die for. Of course, it was animal free but also gluten free. We found the dishes scrumptious. Our program was dedicated to young Priyam who, in four days, will set off to university for his first year. Congratulations!

 

 

May the Source be with you!

 

9 km

Wednesday, August 26th, 2015

Wednesday, August 26^th, 2015

Markham, Ontario

Accommodate the Mantra

I had been carrying with me a wedding invitation card for some days. I was in anticipation of being present at a fine Sri Lankan style event uniting one of the boys I’ve known and guided during his youth to a young woman from Madison, Wisconsin. Finally, fruition hit. The day had come and that was today. The temple on Finch Avenue played host to the marriage of Cowsigan and Apilasha. It took me a while to get his name down, Cowsigan. I would verbalize it and struggle with it for years. We had a shortened version for his name, Kausik. Now, seeing the actual name in black and white and on the invite card, it comes easier.

At the event, I was offered to speak to the crowd to give a message of blessings to the couple. I was introduced as the one who does marathon walks – pilgrimage. It was a golden opportunity to insert kirtan. The musicians present there were poised to play as I introduced the maha mantra to the crowd. When I say “introduced”, I’m rather serious about it. This crowd is accustomed to uttering mantras to Ganesh, Kartikeya, Sai Baba but the maha mantra, I’m sure it’s rarely touched in this mandir (temple).

Here is the immortal spiritual sound of the maha mantra:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

I saw truly happy faces emerge from the execution of chanting this great mantra (our guru, Srila Prabhupada, considered that any ritual was complete when this mantra was included). I could see Cowsigan was joyous upon having that kirtan tossed into the colourful rites of his marriage. Oh, and I gave him a big hug after the chant. We have this word, purnam, in Sanskrit, it means ‘complete’. Whatever is your endeavour, simply accommodate the mantra and make everything complete.

 

May the Source be with you!

7 km